Partner
by StarRise
Summary: Sometimes you are not as alone as you believe.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Partner (1/?)

Verse: G1 AU  
>Rating: PG<br>Warnings: angst  
>Characterspairing: Prowl, Sierra (human OC)

_Authors Notes: This is technically a continuation of __Alone__. If you really like __Alone__ the way it was, as a oneshot, you may not like this, but this is the full account of the actual bunny that sparked __Alone__. Most of the plot is sketched out but not written and I'm lacking a beta reader at the moment so all mistakes are my own._

Prowl sat quietly in the parking garage. It was not ideal, the solution he had found, but it worked well enough. The local police chief had originally been delighted when Prowl had contacted him, even if Prowl wanted his involvement to be kept quiet. To have someone with millions of years of experience and a processor that could run computations faster then the most sophisticated human built super computer at his disposal was a dream come true.

Or so he thought.

Because the chief had a problem- finding a partner that could work with Prowl. So far he had gone through three different officers and two different detectives. The longest one had lasted three weeks before he had gone to the chief and threatened to resign if he wasn't reassigned. There was just something about working with the former Autobot that they couldn't take.

He wasn't human.

Motion.

Prowl ran a scan, gathering the specifics on the approaching human from three vehicles over. The chief had promised him another partner, but Prowl had caught the implication from the chiefs tone and wording that this might be the former Autobots last chance.

A last chance with a new variable.

This chance was female.

The new human came around the car next to him, and Prowl got the idea rather quickly that this human was going to be far different from any of the other ones, gender aside.

This human did not go straight for his door and climb in like they owned him, as the officers had done. This human did not circle warily, attempting to figure him out before really approaching as the detectives had done.

No, this human stood directly in front of him, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at him. The crossed arms were an indication of defensiveness. Prowl could deal with that. She knew him no better than he knew her, though as soon as he had a name Prowl could access her file and learn far more about her in a matter of minutes then she could ever learn about him.

But she faced him head on, eyes running from the lights on top, down his windshield and hood to his tires and back up to the windshield. She sighed. "So what do I call you, Officer?"

Prowl twitched. There was something about the tone, about the phrasing, that was…right. "Prowl." He answered. "My designation is Prowl, and that is sufficient. How should I refer to you?"

The woman blinked, arms slowly lowering. If Prowl wasn't paying very close attention he probably would have missed the barest quirk of her lips. "Sierra. Sierra Hunter."

Prowl rumbled softly as he ran her name through his database access. The response he got to his inquiry was…interesting. "Well, Officer Hunter-."

"Sierra." She responded promptly, as she tilted her head to one side, studying him and checking her watch. "We have five minutes to be on the street. Where do I ride?"

For the first time since he realized he was alone Prowl found himself experiencing a flicker of hope as he opened his driver side door.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Partner (2/9)

Verse: G1 AU

Rating: PG

Warnings: None

Characters/ Pairings: Prowl, Sierra (human OC)

A half an earth year working together and Prowl still knew little about the human he worked with beyond what had been revealed in her personal file. The file itself was very complete. Sierra Hunter had no family left- her parents had died when she was young and her brother had been killed when his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver.

She never spoke of her friends or of what she did after work hours. As far he knew the only change in her routine had been when Prowl discovered that she utilized public transportation to and from the station on a daily basis.

It had been a simple matter to retrieve her file and discover the address of the apartment she rented. And even though she had offered a token protest the first morning she had walked out the door and found Prowl waiting out front for her, when he dropped her off that night she had stepped away so he could close his door and paused.

"So is this a regular thing and I can stop worrying about my bus fare, or was it a one time thing to celebrate the fact that we've been able to stand each other for two months?"

"I will be here in the morning at 0900."

She'd nodded. "See you then."

Prowl had not understood initially why the two months were so significant, except that it was an even number, and humans did seem to like their even numbers. But that night when was sitting in the garage and did a little more digging, he discovered something that had originally escaped his notice.

Sierra Hunter had not kept a partner for more that two months since her first one was shot off duty and later passed away from the injuries. The date was a rather significant marker for both of them, and just maybe an indication of a new direction in both of their lives.

The same human was now pacing circles around Prowl, cup of coffee in hand and more than half empty, to judge the speed of her circling. "So because they had hit targets in that area consistently they want us to start patrolling it. But it's not going to make a difference."

"You seem very convinced of this fact." Prowl commented, finally giving in and allowing his passive sensors to track her movement. It wasn't worth the energy to keep his active sensors on her the whole time.

The hand that wasn't holding the all important coffee waved expressively. "I've seen this pattern before. There are enough high-end neighborhoods in that area they can take their pick. At the first sign of an actual police- not rent-a-cop- presence they will move on to another neighborhood. Fresh victims. We'll investigate. Reach the same conclusion as we did with this set of crimes, and then we'll start all over again from square one."

Prowl hummed thoughtfully. "Would it not make more sense to schedule a patrol in all of the locations deemed to be at risk as a preventative measure?"

"Lack of man power. I suggested that a long time ago and they keep insisting that there is not enough man power."

Prowl crunched the numbers and he had to admit that at least this time they were not lying. At least when the only available officers were the local ones there were too many neighborhoods to cover them without a large number of officers performing a number of over time shifts.

"Random patrols then, if it what you fear does occur."

"That could work, so long as there are no leaks." Sierra mused, stopping in front of him and finishing the last of her coffee.

Prowl opened the door for her. "We should be on our way, if you are going to get another coffee before we start our patrol for the evening."

Sierra slid gracefully into the drivers seat, hands coming to rest lightly on the wheel. Initially she had taken a completely hands off approach to riding along with the former Autobot, but the department had grown tired of the reports of a cop going down the road not holding on to the wheel. She had been ordered to find a compromise.

"How do you know I even want another cup of coffee?"

"Your caffeine intake has not reached it's normal level yet. I understand that this fact in general can be detrimental to normal function."

Sierra had started to laugh. "How did you know I hadn't had as much coffee as usual? Can you scan that or something?"

Actually, Prowl couldn't. His scanners were not tuned to reading the chemical make-up of a human on that level. But he still had an answer. "No. You were not circling me as fast as you normally do at your current level of agitation."

"That gave me away?" She sat back in the drivers seat, considering her partners powers of observation in a new light. Adjusting his systems so that they were all tuned to the local police bands Prowl set of down the road, and finally decided to voice a question that had been bothering him.

"Why do you do that?"

Sierra blinked, straightening in her seat carefully. No matter how many times Prowl assured her that normal motion in his passenger compartment did not disturb him in the slightest she was always so conscientious of where and what she was doing. "Why do I do what?"

"Pace around my vehicle mode while you think."

Sierra just raised an eyebrow at him. " Because I think better when my feet are moving and when I circle you I can still have a conversation with you?"

Prowl rumbled thoughtfully. "So different."

"Come again?"

"You are very different from all of the other officers they assigned to work with me."

"And you're very different from every other moron they've assigned me to work with. Probably the reason we are actually getting stuff done six months into this arrangement." Sierra commented, mind already shifting into work mode as they reached their route for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

"Officer Prowl?"

The woman voice was hesitant, and she maintained a very healthy distance from the silent police cruiser parked at the end of the line-up.

Prowl scanned her instantly. "'Good evening ma'am. Is there something I can do for you?"

The woman shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with speaking to someone that she didn't know was and to her mind coudn't really see as person. "The chief said not to bother you with this, but I know this isn't usual. Well, as much as anyone can know anything about Officer Hunter, I guess."

Prowl waited quietly, not wanting to scare the woman off. Prowl knew that Sierra didn't have a lot of friends. She refused to get involved with any of her coworkers on anything more than a professional level, and they as a whole seemed to know very little about her personal life. He listened, when they talked around him, since so many of them forgot that he was more than he appeared.

"Today is her day off. She takes the same day every year. It's the only day she insists on having off." The woman was rambling, but Prowl wasn't about to stop her. He was learning things that he should know about his partner. "They wanted to call her in today to cover someone else shift and she's not answering her phones. The chief said she's fine but…"

"Thank you. I will go check on her."

The woman nodded, and Prowl called after her, by name. She jumped in place, turning to eye him very warily. "Thank you. Officer Hunter needs far more help than she is willing to admit."

Relaxing, the woman nodded in agreement, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder and making her way quickly out of the garage.

Prowl waited until she was far enough that he would not disturb her by following her out. The woman had obviously stepped very far out of her comfort zone, and ignored an implication, if not an order, to not share this. There was no reason to make her more uncomfortable.

Prowl rolled from the garage and headed along the familiar route to Sierra's apartment. He would check there first.

The apartment was dark and empty, Prowl didn't even need to scan very thoroughly. So he sat quietly outside of the building, working through what he knew of Sierra. She rarely spoke of doing anything outside of work. He knew where she usually got her groceries- more than once Prowl had stopped at a small local supermarket on the way to drop her off at night, but there was no way she would have spent a whole day there.

Coffee. There was a coffee shop where she liked to stop when they were working on a difficult case or she just felt like they were going to have a difficult shift ahead of them.

The first time she had predicted a difficult shift Prowl had told her that it was illogical. There was no way that she could know when one shift was going to be any more busy then the other, not when there was no constant, defining pattern to her feelings.

After the third time she was correct Prowl had just started pulling into the parking lot, ignoring the small, familiar laugh in the back of his processor that he could never hear again. The friendly laugh of a mech long gone.

Prowl cruised the parking lot, but there was no sign of his human partner anywhere, and as he turned back out on the main street he considered other possibilities. He knew where the other officers went when they were off duty. None of those places were places he could imagine Sierra frequenting. Except…

Making a smooth and completely legal u-turn Prowl headed for the other side of town.

The sun was setting by the time Prowl pulled into the largest local metro park. Families were packing, preparing to be gone by closing time, and Prowl slowed down carefully, aware of the unpredictability of human younglings. His spark hummed happily as the some of the children waved at him, and for a moment he felt slightly empty.

Sierra always waved back to the children, sometimes even stopping to talk to them for a few minutes when they were not busy. This park was one of their usual patrols, and he had almost forgotten her comments about how pretty it was and how nice of a place it was to go for a run.

There was a small lot and a shelter deep in the park. They had stopped there one day for Sierra to take her lunch break, and even Prowl had to admit that the view in early spring, with all of the flowering trees in bloom, was worthy of study.

He pulled into the lot, and on the surface the place looked just as abandoned as it was supposed to be. But even if they didn't know much about each other beyond a professional level, they knew each other very well on a professional level.

"Prowl."

"You always know that it is me." Prowl commented, slightly amused and very relieved to have found her.

"Sorry to disappoint, but you still don't have the engine sound down right."

Prowl stopped behind the boulder she was sitting on, going quiet. "That is good to know."

"I hate cars."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Partner (4/9)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl, Sierra (Human OC)

"I hate cars."

Prowl froze at that declaration, then slowly transformed. He had not assumed his root mood since the day he driven away from the Ark for the last time, and the few seconds it took for his systems to adjust was disturbing. Regaining his equilibrium, Prowl moved to take a surprisingly silent and graceful seat by the human.

Sierra didn't even look over. "My father was killed when his truck slid off an icy road one night. The only reason he was out was because he promised us he would be home for Christmas. Thomas was killed when a drunk street racer ran a red light. T-boned the old convertible he was restoring. 'Lindy was hit in a drive by shooting. She wasn't even on duty. I hate cars."

Her head fell forward to rest on her knees, and so quiet that Prowl suspected he was really meant to 'not hear' she murmured. "I hate cars, and it's days like today that make wish I drank."

Prowl checked the date, and understood. Apparently she had chosen the date of her brothers death to memorialize the loss of all those who meant something to her. "Melinda was your first partner."

Sierra nodded, rocking back and forth a bit. "Oh the irony. After one transfer, three partners, and two very confused shrinks, I end up working successfully with a car."

She shivered in the cool night air, and without really thinking about it Prowl reached out and picked her up, bringing her close to his still warm plating. After a moment Sierra gave in, and Prowl made a note to make sure that she ate something before he dropped her off at her place later.

"It's not easy, being the last."

Prowl looked down at her, thinking. "No." He rumbled in return. "It is not." He had lost many friends that day, leaving him essentially the last one standing.

He considered, and then simply began to speak, everything that he had kept bottled up inside spilling out to someone who might finally understand. Someone who might be able to look at the pain in his spark and not be turned away by it. "I had always considered the possibility that I might not survive the war. I believed I was fully prepared to meet that fate. I never considered that I might survive my Prime."

And Optimus would always be his Prime. It was true that he had been sparked when Sentinal was still Prime. It was true that Rodimus was now Prime. But Prowl had given his word and his service to Optimus, and it was Optimus who would always be his Prime.

But it was not even the loss of his Prime that cut him deepest. "My friends are gone. My leader is gone. And my... friend is gone. There was nothing left for me among the Autobots. Yes, it is hard to be the last."

Sierra relaxed, taking shameless advantage of the warmth Prowl was offering. "Your 'friend' have a name?"

"Jazz."

Sierra nodded and went silent, both sharing in the others pain under the clear night sky.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Partner (5/9)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl, Sierra (Human OC)

Prowl waited quietly in front of Sierra's apartment. He knew she would not be expecting him, but he needed to do this. He had learned much of his partner over the past year, and there was no logical reason for her to spend this entire day alone like she had so many times before.

"You don't have to do this."

"I know." Prowl pulled into the same small parking lot of the same shelter where he had found her the year before. He waited as she climbed out and retrieved the bag, then transformed. Sierra paused, looking up at him.

"Why don't you transform any other time?"

Prowl looked up at the sky as his systems adjusted to the shift again. "There has been no need for me to transform into my root form while working with you. The belief that I am a police vehicle and nothing more has served us well in multiple situations."

"You know you are driving the chief nuts with that, refusing to do public appearances."

Prowl flicked his doorwings dismissively, momentarily capturing the humans complete attention as she studied the appendages. "He agreed to my terms when he accepted my services, and I have no desire to serve in any other capacity."

Sierra shook her head, making her way to the large rock at the edge of the clearing. It had been raining non-stop for over a week, and the large Transformers feet left deep impressions in the soggy earth as he followed. Someone was going to have a field day.

"Why did you choose here?"

Prowl considered his answer, knowing where the question sprang from. He was working a small, relatively backwater district, at a small station. If his goal was really to serve he could do so on a much broader scale in a larger district. In a bigger city. Prowl was sure that governments would be all over themselves to have his services at their disposal.

And the truth was, his answer was a selfish one. "I was tired."

Sierra nodded but didn't push any harder as she opened the bag and lined up the candles one by one. Prowl stood behind her, watching and counting quietly to himself.

Two white ones- one for each of her parents. A red one for her brother, Thomas. A blue one, for Melinda. Matches to light them all. The human studied the assembled candles. "Do you have a lighter?"

Prowl looked at the matches. His audios had picked up the sound of matchsticks inside. "I have something that will suffice…" He froze as a she pulled another candle from the bag and placed it with the others, this one black and white.

She said nothing else as she opened the matches and lit first candle, bowing her head in prayer before moving on to the next one. Prowl watched, as she prayed for the souls of those who were gone. She paused when she reached the end, looking at the last unlit candle.

Slowly Prowl reached out, the candle springing to life. For a moment he studied the flame, then bowed his head, offering his own soft prayer to Primus for the spark of the mech he'd loved.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Partner (6/10)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst, pain<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl, Sierra (Human OC)

Sirens blaring and lights flashing Prowl navigated the congested streets far faster and smoother than any other unit would have been able to manage. With Sierra listening to the bands he had selected, running them against current traffic conditions since there was no reason for her to keep her eyes on the road and he was able to concentrate fully on what he was doing- dodging stupid human drivers.

Tomorrow would mark three years of a successful partnership, a miracle. They had discussed taking the day off and celebrating somehow. After this run it was looking far more appealing that Prowl had originally considered. Everything about this report disturbed him, because it sounded nothing like anything he had dealt with over the last three years.

For three years he had been dealing with humans, one hundred percent predictable only in the fact that they were unpredictable. Granted he could run odds and possibility percentages, but even when he did that there were times when Sierra would point to the one of the possibilities that he had listed as unlikely and that would be the one that would turn out to be right.

No, what troubled him about this whole scenario was the fact that he had heard nothing of the like for three years. Not since he had left the Autobots. This entire thing sounded of Decepticon activity, and he was taking his partner into the middle of it with no back-up.

A solid thump on his dash finally got his attention. "Prowl?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

The mech contemplated his answer. There was no point in lying or trying to avoid the question. Sierra had gotten very good at reading him and would recognize either attempt in the span of a human heart beat.

"I do not like this call. And I do not like the fact that you are with me this time."

Tension and irritation. He had been expecting both, and was just thankful as he made another sharp turn that no ordinary car and driver could have managed that so far he seemed to have avoided her anger. "This does not sound like the doing of humans, and I would not want you in danger you are unable to face."

Another thump on his dash. "When are you going to learn that I am full of surprises? Just drive- I can handle myself."

* * *

><p>Yes, she could handle herself, Prowls failing processor mused. But it would seem that he no longer had the talent for predicting what his enemy was going to do. The fact that it had been some time since he had gone head to head with this particular set of foes was irrelevant.<p>

He had a matter of human minutes before he lost enough energon to be critical, then not much longer after that he would finish fading, perhaps into the peace that he had been seeking all this time.

Sierra would be all right. He had gotten the emergency call in, and the Decepticons were long gone by now. The energy he had spared on a scan granted him the peace he now felt. She was merely unconscious, slightly battered and bruised, and when she woke she would be sore. But she would live.

Prowl allowed himself to slide toward oblivion. He was not completely satisfied- he had not been able to discover what the Decepticons had been doing here. But for the moment they were gone, and an alert had been sent to Autobots. An alert he hoped they would heed, or at least look into. Much beyond that was beyond his ability, and he found himself content with that.

Discomfort and pain assaulted his senses, drawing him back to the world around him as he forced his processor to focus again. Sierra was up and she was doing something to him, touching him-

"No." The protest came out soft, weak as she worked.

"You're bleeding out, whatever it is."

"Hurt yourself."

"Too late." That flippant humor mingled with steely determination. "I'm not about to stand around and let you die or offline or whatever it is you do. I went through three partners to find someone I could work with, and I don't think they are about to give me another chance."

"Not worth it." Prowl protested. His audios were still functioning just fine and he could hear the burning of her skin as the refined energon struck it, burning away at her worse than any acid known to humans.

A derisive snort was the last thing he would recall.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Partner (7/9)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst, grouchy medics<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl, Ratchet, First Aid, Jazz, mentions of Optimus Prime and other characters

"Duct tape." Ratchet repeated to himself in disbelief as he continued to carefully strip away the gummy, gunky mess buried in Prowl's internals. As often as he had questioned human ingenuity and their inventions on occasion, he had to hand it to Prowl's human partner.

Between the metal thermos and the duct tape, as well as some quick improvised surgery, Prowl had lasted long enough for them to reach him in time.

The medic continued to grumble as he worked, and First Aid smiled contentedly from where he worked on the other side of Prowl. The griping and complaining was comforting after the silence for so long. It was good to have his mentor back from the Well. Good to no longer be responsible for all of the Autobots stationed here on Earth.

Half of the crew that had returned with Optimus were still adjusting to being back from the Well. First Aid knew that Ratchet was struggling more than he let on, blaming himself for those who had not come back, even though from the stories he had heard the old medic had no input on who had returned. But at least Ratchet had something to focus on. Like putting Prowl back together.

As much as Ratchet grumbled, except for all of the complications from his severed energon line Prowl was in remarkably good shape for having gone for three years without any contact with another Cybertonian.

A flicker in the corner of his optics and First Aid forced himself to ignore it. Ratchet had threatened to throw the mech out if he didn't plant himself in a corner and stay out of the way, and so far Jazz had been remarkably obedient. The younger medic had been confused initially, wondering what here might have attracted the mech. As social as he recalled Jazz being he figured the mech would have been catching up on everything he had missed over the last three years.

But as soon as he had found out where he was Jazz had refused to leave the same general area as Prowl, and First Aid had questioned Ratchet about it Ratchet had just grunted and continued working.

Ratchet rubbed at his optics, setting aside the last of his tools. He had done all he could for Prowl. All the damaged parts had been replaced. It would be up to the mechs own self repair systems to finish calibrating everything so that it ran like it should. That alone would take a minimum of several orns. But at the moment he had something else he needed to address. "You."

Jazz looked at him, visor glowing to full brightness. "Three cubes of energon, and you can stay the night provided you call me if he wakes, and don't bother him."

Jazz didn't protest, fetching the required energon without a complaint or a word of cheek. He handed one to First Aid and one to Ratchet, then looked at the third one.

"For you, half bit. Now- he is stable. He is healing. Do not stress him."

Jazz waited until both of the medics had left before pulling up a chair beside Prowl's berth and working his way through the energon Ratchet had ordered him to fetch for himself.

Ratchet always seemed to know them a little better than they knew themselves. His optics traveled slowly over the frame of the mech he loved. Ratchet had been far too concerned with the critical damage to spare a thought for the cosmetic. Forget paint- wires, cables and lines lay exposed where armor was missing and protoform had been stripped away.

Unable to help himself Jazz reached out, running fingertips lightly over a section of still solid protoform. "Missed ya Prowler. It wasn' right, bein' over there without ya, bond or no. It's nice over there, but not without ya. Not alla' us came back, ya know. I guess Primus let Optimus do some of the choosin'. 'Cept for me. Primus said something special 'bout sendin' me back, Optimus said. Dunno why."

He fell silent, still stroking the protoform. Sighing at the lack of response he settled for speaking some more. "I'll have ta comm Blue later. He missed ya while ya were gone-."


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Partner (8/10)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst, fluff<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl/ Jazz, Ratchet, mentions of Sierra (human OC) and other characters

Noise. Funny, Prowl had thought that things would be peaceful and quiet in the Well. This sounded suspiciously like his memories of being in the med bay of the Ark after being badly injured. Right down to Ratchet grumbling in the background.

"There- he's come around enough. But I swear if he messes anything up because of you you'll find yourself banished and nothing's going to get you back in."'

"My word- I won' do anythin' to get 'em worked up."

Jazz.

Prowl couldn't focus his optics fast enough as a visored face swam into view. He tried to set up only to be hindered by strong hands on his shoulders holding him down.

"I'm dead then. Good."

Jazz flinched, staring down at him. "I'm thinkin' I need ta have Ratchet check yer processor if yer thinkin' dead is good mech."

"It is good because you are here." Prowl said, reaching out. "And since you are dead but you are here then logically I am now in the Well also." He flinched, hand flying to his chest as he moved and pain shot through him. "Though I have to confess I did not think it would hurt so much."

"Pain is bad, and that kind don' exist over there. So ya better stop 'fore Ratchet makes good on 'is threat and throws me outta his med bay."

Jazz watched as the wheels turned, and he couldn't help but smile as Prowl started putting all the pieces together. He watched as Prowl looked around, registering that it wasn't just SOME old med bay he was in, but Ratchet's med bay on the Ark. His grin went full spread as those shocked optics landed back on him.

"You're alive." Prowl whispered, voice revealing that his processor was still at war with what his optics and the rest of his senses were telling him.

"Spark and all mech. Primus sent me back ta ya, for some reason." Jazz took his free hand, leaning his face into it and allowing Prowl to feel. He was still as the hand slid down his chest, feeling the warmth of the spark underneath the plating. "Sent a bunch of us back when he threw Optimus back, Ratchet included, in case you were wondering who put you back together."

Prowls hand fell back to his own half repaired protoform and armor, memories slowly rising to the top of his processor. "The call. The Decepticons. Sierra."

"The officer that was with ya?"

"Yes. She was-." Prowl flinched, the sound of energon on human skin coming back to him sharply. "She-."

"Ratchet said if she hadn' done what she did ya wouldn' made it." Jazz expression was strained. "Kinda woulda sucked for me, comin' back jus' to find out we passed each other along the way."

Prowl shuddered at the idea of arriving in the Well only to find that Jazz was not there, wherever there was. There would have been no peace waiting for him in that case. But the mech he had loved and lost was here now- he squeezed the mech's hand in his own to remind himself of that fact.

Jazz was here, but someone else was not. "Sierra?"

Jazz's visor flashed, but his tone was full of affection as he pulled up a chair.. "Stubborn mech. 'ere is what I know, and if ya promise ta be good I'll see what I can find out."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was an interesting thing, getting things arranged so that he could come visit the human in the hospital. While Prowl was looking at a considerable recovery time, it was nothing compared to what the human in the bed before him faced.

Jazz took a minute to study the human in front of him. Physically she looked…awful. The thick bandages running from her shoulders down the entire length of both arms only added to the impression of 'damaged'. But looking into her eyes Jazz could see what Prowl was saying when he spoke of her.

And spoke of her he had, often and at great length when he was conscious. He spoke of her courage and compassion, of her strength and her intelligence. He spoke too of her shortcomings, of how she was often easily frustrated, and her addiction to the human beverage known as coffee.

Jazz had actually become slightly jealous of the small organic. Three years of working side by side with Prowl, closer to him than Jazz had ever allowed himself to appear in the millions of years they had worked together. Three years where Jazz had been completely missing from the picture.

But it was that relationship that had driven her to save Prowl's life, and the price of Prowl's life was finally hitting home as ran a scan on her. He would have to be careful when he reported to Prowl of the human's condition and the doctor's predictions for her recovery.

She would never regain the full use of her hands, and there was extreme damage all the way up her arms. There was scarring in random places on her body where the energon had burned her, blemishes. And organics were subject to so many other damages as they healed, infections and re-injury.

Green eyes met blue visor, and the human spoke first. "So you are Jazz."

The mech moved closer and smiled as the human did not shrink away from his presence. "Yea, that'd be me. Which would make ya Sierra."

She smirked. "Sierra Hunter. And forgive me if I do not offer to shake your hand."

For a moment all Jazz could do was stare, mouth hanging open. Then he laughed. "Well, at least Prowl found himself someone with a sense o' humor."

"Quite possibly the only thing that saved us during our time working together." Sierra agreed, and Jazz found himself fighting down another laugh.

As they talked Jazz could see what Prowl saw in this human. He started looking closer. Could tell how the pain multiplied when she moved, and how a mere fifteen minutes later she was already fading. He signaled her caregivers, but before they arrived Jazz grew serious. "Thank you."

"For what? I should be thanking you for reminding me that there is life outside of this dungeon."

"For saving Prowl."

Sierra smiled at that. "Well I wasn't about to let my partner bleed to death."

"Not for that, though while we are on the subject, thank you for that as well."

Sierra settled back on the bed. "You're welcome, even though I am not sure if I save him, or if he rescued me. And Jazz-." She called after him, waiting until the mech turned to look at her again. "He never stopped missing you."


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Partner (10/10)  
>Verse: G1 AU<br>Rating: PG  
>Warnings: Angst, death<br>Characters/pairing: Prowl/ Jazz, Sierra (Human OC)

Sierra looked around cautiously at her new home. This place had obviously not been built with humans in mind, but she had been assured that it had been altered to accommodate them. She hesitated, looking at the mechs that towered over her and still marveling a little at the sight of Prowl in root form.

"You don't have to do this, you know. The government will foot the bill for my care. And after that…"

Well, honestly after that she wasn't sure what she was going to do. There were many people in life that had moved on after suffering injuries like hers. It would just take starting over. Again.

"No." Prowl and Jazz spoke together, in complete sync. That was going some getting used to, and Sierra still wanted a comprehensive explanation on how this whole bonding thing worked. At the moment all she knew was that Prowl and Jazz were somehow linked now, permanently, and that their actions were often amusing or disconcerting by turn.

They had both argued for her being allowed to come live among the Autobots, at least until she was well enough to be on her own. Gathering her courage and swallowing her pride she looked at them. "Well, are you going to show me around then?"

* * *

><p>This was not how it was supposed to end. Prowl stood back, at the edge of the gathered humans. Many more had shown up that he would have expected. But then, Sierra had changed during the time that they had worked together. Changed to the point that even if her colleagues did not seek out her company they respected her.<p>

As an officer she had also had a far greater impact on the community then even Prowl had guessed. The children she would wave at, the adults she would speak to, they all remembered. They came.

Some of them had seemed surprised to learn that her partner had been an Autobot, but Prowl hadn't been willing to let anyone else be the honor guard on the procession. Now he stood, surrounding by his brothers and sisters in arms to honor the human that had ended up touching so many of them. With her humor and her laughter. With her strength and stubbornness. With her courage and dedication present right up to the very end.

Prowl bowed his head and leaned into the momentary comfort that Jazz offered when the service was over. He was not alone. He was not the last. But once again an important part of his life was missing.

* * *

><p>"So explain to me what we are doing again Prowler?" Jazz questioned, more confused about visiting an outdoor human location in the rain than bothered by the idea.<p>

Prowl had done something he never did- he took a day off. Two days off, in fact. One because, as he told Prime, there was something important he needed to do for a friend. And no, the date was not negotiable. The other day was because the Decepticons had managed to cause a rather thorough upset on the anniversary of their bonding, and who was Jazz to complain is Prowl felt the need to make it up to him?

Still, Prowl was acting very odd, and if Jazz couldn't see into his spark so well he would have contemplated having Ratchet run a scan on the mech's processor. The small bag the human at the station had given him hadn't cleared matters up at all, especially since she seemed just as confused as to why Prowl would want whatever was in it.

"Here." Prowl said, transforming quietly deep in the park. Jazz wasn't even going to point out the fact that they had gone around a sign saying that the park was currently closed to visitors. Law breaking Prowl was a new one too.

He followed Prowl across a small clearing, skirting the empty shelter, to a large rock. He watched quietly as Prowl opened the bag and laid out five candles, arranging them carefully.

"What are those for?" He asked softly as Prowl lit the first one, recognizing it as some sort of human ritual, even if he didn't understand the point quite yet.

"Sierra's creators." Prowl explained softly as he lit the white pair. "Her brother." The red one. "Her first partner." The blue.

The lighter hovered over the green for a moment, and Jazz understood as the flame came into life. "Sierra."

Jazz moved closer, hearing but even more deeply feeling the prayer that his bonded intoned to Primus, the only deity known to their kind. When Prowl was finished Jazz wrapped his arms around the Praxian, and together they watched the candle flames flicker softly as the sky above them cleared and the stars shone overhead, reflecting the lights below.


End file.
